Finnish Chief of Defence expresses concern about political development in Russia

Admiral Kaskeala less worried about reported military buildup

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Finland's Chief of Defence, Admiral Juhani Kaskeala, says that there is more reason to be concerned about political developments in Russia than over reports that Russia has been increasing its military presence near Finnish borders. Kaskeala made his comments during a visit to the United States, where he has been following an international crisis management exercise.
     YLE Television News reported last week, Finland has been so concerned about Russia's greater military presence near Finland, that there are plans to send President Tarja Halonen on a hasty visit to Washington.
     According to the report, the purpose of the visit would be to seek US help in striking a balance against stronger Russian military strength.
     
Kaskeala feels that there is a "powerful dose of exaggeration" involved. He recognises that Russia has started to invest more in the development of its military forces after a great collapse, and that even small changes seem big when the starting point is so low.
     Reports that units of Russia's air force and other military units have been moved closer to the Finnish border are news to Kaskeala, even though the Finnish Defence Forces is capable of following and predicting these kinds of military changes
     However, political will and how the armed forces are used can, in Kaskeala's view, change "overnight", and he feels political development in Russia really is a cause for concern.
     "All strings are getting to be in the hands of President Vladimir Putin, and there does not seem to be any counterforce that would question this in the Duma or anywhere else. This is not the promising development toward democracy that we have also hoped for", Kaskeala said.
     He adds that Russian air bases have been merged, because the number of military planes has decreased. Space rockets have been launched in Plesetski for a long time. More activities have been moved there, because the former main base of Baikonur is in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.
     
Russia is testing submarines in the Baltic Sea, but they are not its own submarines, but rather vessels that have been sold to China and India. "Russia has only three operative submarines of its own in the Baltic sea", Kaskeala says.
     He did not want to comment directly on a possible visit to the USA by President Halonen, or the reasons or goals of such a visit. However, he did note that the scenarios of threats facing Finland have not changed, and the most recent government defence report from 2004 has not become obsolete.
     The report emphasises transatlantic cooperation and the importance of the USA in European security structures.
     
Our reference group is the EU, but there is certainly nothing wrong for Finland to have friends behind the Atlantic as well", he said.
     Such friends would seem to exist at the large US naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, where Kaskeala is observing the Multinational Experiment 4 crisis management exercise.
     Taking part in the exercise are ten Finns and 35 Swedish soldiers. The purpose is to use the massive data processing capacity of the US military to simulate a crisis in Afghanistan - a country where there is currently a considerable crisis even without simulation.
     A good example of this was the February riot in Mainama, where a Norwegian-Finnish military group stood up against a five-hour siege of local people without resorting to violence.
     According to Kaskeala, the commander of the group, Lieutenant-Colonel Jari Vaara is seen as something of a hero among experts in the field. His actions were even praised at a NATO defence ministers' meeting.
     The American hosts of the present exercise have conceded to Kaskeala that there are differences in approach between the Americans and the Finns. If there is a significant threat in a village in a crisis area, the American way of dealing with it is to send jet fighters to bomb the village.
     The Finns took a coffee break, spoke to local people, and offered help in developing the village. The result was more lasting.
     
Defence Minister Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) commented on reports of Admiral Kaskeala's statements on Russia, emphasising that relations between Russia and Finland are in good shape, and should e kept that way.
     He also would not criticise Kaskeala for taking an unusually outspoken stand on politics.
     "Everyone answers for his own words and takes his position into consideration. I am not flustered by this. Finland has freedom of speech", Kääriäinen said.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Armed protesters attack Afghan base used by Finnish peacekeepers (8.2.2005)

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